


Safe In The Arms Of Love

by GreyHaven



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, Multi, Smut, Snowed In, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 04:07:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12832950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyHaven/pseuds/GreyHaven
Summary: When Audrey invited him round for a coffee and a chat, Duke didn't know what to expect.  Then the snow started falling and Nathan was late home and...Why am I even writing a summary for this?  It's a snowed in fic, you know exactly how it's going ;)





	Safe In The Arms Of Love

**Author's Note:**

> With huge thanks to [DixieSiryn](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieSiryn) for honest criticism, beta reading and finding [the perfect song](https://youtu.be/FczFS6iKlxQ) to give this fic it's title.

Dark grey clouds, tinged with purple, hung heavily in the sky, snow falling from them, gradually covering everything in a soft blanket of white.  The wind had picked up and this had all the makings of being the worst snow storm Duke could remember.  His breath misted the window as he spoke.  “Really coming down out there.”

Audrey nodded.  She folded her arms around herself and glanced out of the window.  “I hope Nathan gets home ok.”

“He’ll be fine,” Duke said, giving her arm a squeeze, a gesture which was meant to reassure her but did nothing of the sort.  “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”

There was a brief moment of hesitation before Audrey answered and Duke raised his eyebrows.  She shook her head.  “It’ll keep.”

It was Duke’s turn to hesitate.  “Ok,” he said.  “I should make a move, then.  Don’t want to get caught out if the roads get bad.”  He turned to leave.

“Duke, don’t go,” Audrey’s hand was warm as she clutched his arm through the thin fabric of his shirt and there was a pleading note to her voice as she went on.  “It’s getting dark, the roads’ll be bad already.  Stay.  Drive back in the morning.”

A longer beat of hesitation this time as Duke studied her.  Her face was pinched, nervous.  She was already worried about Nathan and he didn’t want to add to her concern.  “Ok,” he relented.  Anything to take that look off her face.  His arm felt cool when she dropped her hand away, a sudden sense of _loss_ now she was no longer touching him.  “Maybe you should let Nathan know first.  I can’t see him being too happy about me being here.”

“What?” Audrey frowned.  “No, Duke, he won’t mind at all.  He’d much rather that than he gets called out to pick up the pieces if...if anything goes wrong.”

Duke nodded slowly.  “Ok,” he said again.  “Let me bring some logs in, get a fire going.  I bet he hasn’t got the boiler fixed yet, has he?”

“Indeed he hasn’t.  Runs fine for hot water, the heating...not so much,” Audrey laughed softly.  “Thanks, Duke.  You’re the best.”

“No troub…” he started to say, already pulling on his thick winter coat.  “No problem,” he corrected himself.  The last thing either of them needed was to hear _that word_ , even in such a benign context.  “Back in a few.”

There was an eeriness in the air - the thick carpet of snow reflected what little light remained in the sky and muffled everyday sounds - and the wind was biting, almost painful, even through his layers.  Duke shivered.  The snow was already halfway up the tyres of his Land Rover and still falling fast.  Audrey definitely had a point about not driving in it, even just the short trip back to the harbour.  He pulled his coat more tightly around himself and hurried around to the log shed, his boots crunching through the snow, leaving large footprints behind him.

**

Audrey must have heard him crashing back onto the porch, laden down with the full log carrier, because she rushed to open the door for him.  “Thanks, Duke,” she smiled warmly.

He smiled back and kicked his boots off, placing them neatly on the doormat before he hefted the carrier over to the fireplace.  Working quickly, he set a fire in the empty grate - newspaper, kindling, logs - which caught as soon as he touched a match to it.  A soft, orange, glow suffused the room, immediately giving a cosy feel, and Duke warmed his hands in front of it.  Slowly, his fingers defrosted enough that he could unzip his coat and take it off.

“No word from Nathan?”  He asked.  A pointless question given the furrow of Audrey’s brow and the way she kept looking at her phone as if staring at it would make it ring.

“What do you fancy for dinner?”  She countered, an obvious attempt at distraction but Duke could play along with that.

“I’ll make something.  What do you have?”  He smiled as he followed her to the kitchen.

“You don’t have to,” Audrey peered into the fridge.

“Least I can do if you guys are putting me up for the night.  Or putting up with me.  Whichever,” Duke said as he started pulling out ingredients.

“Duke,” Audrey’s hand was on his arm again, small and warm and soft.  He gazed down at her.  Whatever was in their past, whatever he might _pretend,_ he’d never stopped loving Audrey Parker.  “You’re our _friend_.  We’re not putting up with you.”

That word.   _Friend._  He’d heard it from them so many times.  Another reminder of what he couldn’t have.  “No, I’m _your_ friend.  Nathan?”  He waved his hand in a so-so gesture.  “Not so much.”

“You guys _are_ friends.  At least Nathan thinks of you as his friend and I’d like to think you feel the same about him,” Audrey’s fingers squeezed just a little bit tighter around his arm.

“Fine,” Duke sighed theatrically.  “Nathan and I are friends.  Better?”

“Much,” Audrey said and dropped her hand away.

Relieved that she wasn’t going to call him on his sarcasm, Duke carried on preparing dinner.  The last thing he was going to admit to right now was that he didn’t want to be _just friends_ with Nathan.  With either of them.  That ship had long since sailed.  Nathan and Audrey were together now and he had no intention of coming between them.

He could feel Audrey’s eyes on him as he cooked.  He glanced at her.  She was leaning against the counter, sipping a glass of wine, and she let out an embarrassed huff of laughter as she realised he’d noticed.

“Audrey,” Duke started to say before there was a knock at the door.

She flew to answer it and flung herself into Nathan’s arms, not caring that he was dripping wet and cold, just relieved that he was _home_ and safe.

“Keys are in my jeans.  Couldn’t get to them under all these layers,” Nathan explained.  He dropped an apologetic kiss on her forehead and tightened his arms around her momentarily before stepping out of her embrace so he could peel off his coats - his heavy waterproof, a lighter fleece, a hoodie.  His boots went beside Duke’s on the doormat and he padded through to the kitchen in his socks.  “Well, we’re officially snowed in.  Had to walk the last half mile.  Hey, Duke.  Beer?”

The greeting was so casual, so _familiar_ , that Duke was caught off guard.  “Uh.  Yeah, thanks.”

“Duke’s staying tonight,” Audrey said.  “I didn’t want him driving home in this.”

Nathan nodded and passed Duke a beer.  “You should.  Roads are blocked and it’s getting too deep to walk in.  Would much rather you stayed.”

The look Audrey gave him was a clear ‘I told you so’ and Duke smiled and cleared his throat.  “Dinner won’t be long,” he said, turning back to the stove.  He stirred the sauce and glanced at the pasta to make sure it wasn’t in imminent danger of boiling over.

“Thanks for cooking,” Nathan said, giving Duke a clap on the back and maybe it was Duke’s imagination but his hand seemed to linger just a split second longer than was strictly necessary for a friendly gesture.  “I’d say you didn’t have to, but....”

“Yeah, I know what you two are like in the kitchen,” Duke quipped.  “I mean, you want to give yourselves food poisoning that’s fine but leave me out of it.”

“Fair,” Audrey laughed.  “I’m getting better though, haven’t burnt anything in weeks now.”

“Good to know,” Duke smirked, back in his comfort zone of light-hearted teasing.

“I’m...not,” Nathan admitted with a slight shrug of his shoulders.  “Least I can make pancakes.”

“He does make good pancakes,” Audrey smiled.

“Waffles are still better,” Duke said, serious as he took plates out of the cupboard and set about serving up the dinner.

“Nope, pancakes,” Nathan insisted, carrying plates to the table and sitting down.

Duke considered launching into a good-natured argument about the merits of waffles versus pancakes but thought better of it.  “Long as you don’t use the fake maple syrup,” he said instead.

Nathan looked offended at the mere suggestion.  “Stuff isn’t allowed in the house.”

Audrey rolled her eyes and changed the subject.  "This is amazing," she mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.

"Really is," Nathan agreed. "Thanks again, Duke."

"Nice to know I have my uses," Duke laughed. "Gives you a reason to keep me around."

Audrey’s face took on a pained expression and she chewed her lip.  "Duke didn't think you'd want him to stay,” she said, glancing at Nathan with her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Really?" The lines on Nathan's forehead deepened into a frown.

Duke shrugged.

Nathan reached across the table, stopping just short of taking Duke’s hand.  "After everything? All we went through, you think we're not...friends, at least?"

Duke stared at him.  Two little words.   _At least._  Inconsequential, maybe, but that little hesitation before he said ‘friends’...was it possible there was something more there?  Something that Nathan - or Audrey - wasn’t saying?  He quickly shut down that line of thought.  It was stupid.  Unproductive.  Impossible.

His silence must have given Nathan his answer.  "Sorry, Duke. Should never have made you feel like that,” Nathan withdrew his hand but not before he extended his fingers to brush against Duke’s, the barest of touches, hardly noticeable before it was gone again.

“I’ll clear up,” Audrey said quietly.  She stood and started clearing the plates, quick and efficient, the way she handled everything else in life.

“I’ll help,” Nathan immediately jumped to his feet.

Duke watched them.  The way they moved easily around each other, not communicating, just working purely on instinct.  They worked just as well together at home as they did at work - true partners in every sense of the word - and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was intruding on something private.  Intimate.

Nathan stretched his arm up, leaning across Audrey to put the plates away and Duke tore his eyes away from the tiny strip of skin that had been revealed by his shirt riding up.  He took a long swig of his beer and when Audrey laughed at something Nathan had whispered in her ear, his heart skipped a beat.  Oh god, her laugh.  He shook his head slightly, as though that would help clear his thoughts.

“Shall we snuggle on the sofa?” Audrey suggested when they’d finished.  “It’d be warmer by the fire…”  Her eyes were on Duke as she spoke and that was _not helping_ because snuggling on the sofa sounded very fucking appealing right now and that meant it was a Very Bad Idea.

Bad idea or not, Duke nodded his agreement.  Trying to keep his distance (and maybe keep his heart from breaking), he dropped gracefully into the battered armchair by the door, the half empty beer bottle dangling from his fingers, lounging in the chair in the way that only he could - as though sitting was something new to him and he didn’t quite know how to do it, all long limbs and angles and not looking even remotely comfortable.

Audrey flopped onto the centre of the couch with an audible sigh.  She stretched her feet towards the fire, wiggling her toes, and smiled at Nathan as he sat beside her, one leg curled beneath him and his arm stretched along the back of the couch behind her.

“Want the blanket?”  He asked.  He waited for her nod before he dragged it off the back of the couch and draped it over them and they looked _adorable_ , the perfect couple, and once again Duke felt as though he was intruding.  They were so soft together, so obviously _in love_.  The smiles.  The little touches.  They were everything he _couldn’t have_ and so desperately wanted.

“Duke?”  Audrey’s voice cut through his reverie.  “There’s plenty of space here, want to share the blanket?”

Duke swallowed hard and shook his head.  “I’m good here, thanks.”  He couldn’t be any closer to them than he already was.  That would be _too much_.

“Duke,” Nathan’s tone was reproachful.  “It’s cold.  Come over here.”

God.  Did they _know_?  Could they read what he was thinking?  Is that why they were asking?  No.  That wasn’t possible.  He shook his head again and even he didn’t know if he was refusing or clearing his head.

Audrey patted the couch beside her.  “Come on.  The fire needs another log, you can chuck it on as you go past.”

Duke let out a huff of something that might have been laughter at the obvious attempt at manipulation.  He set his now empty beer bottle on the table and uncurled himself from the chair to cross the room with long strides.  Heat roared from the fire as he prodded it with a poker, breaking up the remaining log before throwing on a new one.

“See, you’re up now, you don’t have an excuse not to join us on the couch,” Audrey grinned.

Duke laughed softly and - probably against his better judgement - gave up objecting.  He sank down onto the couch beside her and smiled when she tossed the blanket over him.  Her weight shifted so her shoulder lightly touched his and he risked a sideways glance at Nathan, relieved to find Nathan smiling at them both.  He tucked the blanket around himself and settled into his seat and tried to pretend this was _normal_.

Because the trouble was that it _felt_ normal.  And warm.  And comfortable.  Familiar, even.  It felt like _home_ , and it shouldn’t have done because he had no place - no business, no _right -_ to be here.  This was _them_ and he wasn’t a part of it.  Except now he felt like he was and that was dangerous territory.

Staring into the flames, he was surprised when Audrey stretched out, her feet resting in his lap, her head on Nathan’s.  He shifted awkwardly, leaning his weight against the arm of the couch, and resisted the temptation to _touch her_ because if he was overstepping his bounds by being here, then touching her was _definitely_ overstepping.

Her heel gently nudged his thigh and he realised he’d missed something.  “Hmmm?”  He asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Nathan asked if we wanted cocoa,” Audrey smiled.

Duke nodded.  “Yeah, that’d be good.  Thanks.”

“I’ll go make some,” Nathan said.  He shuffled out from under Audrey, gently placed a cushion under her head so she wouldn’t have to move, and went into the kitchen.

The cocoa-making sounds coming from the kitchen were reassuringly _normal_ and Duke relaxed a little, finally resting his hand on Audrey’s ankle, over the top of the blanket.  She smiled at him, soft and relaxed, letting him know that it was ok.  He smiled back, inwardly cursing himself for feeling like a nervous teenager.

Even with her reassurance, he moved his hand as soon as Nathan came back into the room.  The last thing he wanted was to get into a punch up about him touching Nathan’s girlfriend.  Even if Audrey hadn’t minded.  Even something as innocent as his hand on her ankle through a layer of blanket.  That didn’t seem like something he should be allowed to do.

Nathan carefully placed three steaming mugs of cocoa onto the table and plucked a bottle of whisky from the sideboard, putting it alongside the mugs.  “Whisky works in cocoa, right, Duke?”  He said as he settled back onto the couch, Audrey’s head in his lap once again.

Duke bit back the comment that was on the tip of his tongue (‘Are you trying to get me drunk, Nate?’) and nodded.  “It does.  Anyone else want some?”  It should have felt weird offering to pour Nathan his own whisky but it _didn’t_ and that in itself felt...odd.  When they nodded, he poured a generous measure into each mug - hey, it was _cold_ , not that he needed an excuse to drink, but if either of them asked, that was his justification.

“Nice having you here,” Audrey murmured between sips.  Nathan nodded and made a noise which might have been agreement.

“Nice to be here,” Duke replied lightly, deliberately not looking at either of them, deliberately keeping his tone casual to hide just how _nice_ it really was.

Lulled by the alcohol and the warmth of the fire, Audrey was soon yawning.  “Probably time for bed,” she said.  “Otherwise I’ll end up sleeping here.”

“Should get some sleep,” Nathan said.  “Might have to dig our way out tomorrow.”

Duke nodded.  “I’ll come and help you get your truck back in the morning.”

“Thanks,” Nathan replied, already on his feet.  He offered his hand to Audrey who uncurled herself from the couch and looked at Duke.

He looked away, hiding his disappointment that they were going to bed, that the snuggling was over.  Not that it had been _much_ snuggling, but it was the closest thing he’d had in a very long time and the fact that it had meant so much to him was completely and utterly ridiculous.

“Coming?” Nathan asked, and he was watching Duke so intently that he had to fight to keep from shivering because _that look_ from Nathan, that look of extreme concentration, that _intense scrutiny,_ had always undone him and now Nathan seemed to be inviting him to share their bed and Duke had _no idea_ how to respond to that.

“Where?”  He stalled.

“To bed,” Audrey said patiently.  “Forecast is for fifteen below tonight.”

“I’ll be fine here,” Duke said.  The thought of sharing their bed…. _fuck_ , he wanted to.  But not like this.  Not when it was just _practical_.  “Just leave me the blanket.”

“Duke, c’mon,” Nathan tried to persuade him.  “Be freezing when the fire goes out.  Only a couple of logs left.”

“Come up with us?” Audrey again.  “Please?”

And god, they were almost _begging_ him and he was about two steps away from saying _fuck it_ and going to bed with them and damn the heartbreak of spending the night beside them both.  He shook his head.  “I’ll be fine.  Really.”   _Please don’t ask me again.  I can’t say no again_.

“Duke,” Nathan definitely sounded growly.  Oh fuck.  That was it.  He never could resist that tone.  “Stop.  Arguing.”

“Fine.  Fine, I’ll come,” Duke said, still feigning reluctance even as hope surged through him that maybe, _maybe_ , they were on the same page.  And even if they weren’t, at least he’d have the memory of sleeping beside them.  That would do.  At least that’s what he tried to convince himself of, even as he knew that spending the night with them would only make him want _more_.

***

By the time he’d finished in the bathroom, Nathan and Audrey were already in bed, tucked up beneath the covers, close against each other so there was space for him beside Audrey.  Not Nathan.  And Duke wasn’t sure what to make of that.  A clear message, maybe, that Nathan didn’t want to be _that close_ to Duke.

They looked up at him expectantly and he smiled wryly as he began to undress.  Slowly - almost reluctantly - because there had been no flirting here and whatever _wild fantasy_ he might have had about the three of them, this was definitely not it.  This friendly, familiar, platonic bed sharing was so far out of his wheelhouse that he had _no idea_ what he was supposed to do.

And - _oh god_ \- they were watching him.  Audrey was stealing little glances at him, pretending not to look.  Nathan…. Nathan was staring openly.  A half smile on his lips.  The same half smile that he always used to wear when Duke undressed for him, back in the days when things had been ok, before all the Troubles, when life had been simpler.  But so much had happened since then and it _wasn’t possible_ for Nathan to be smiling in that tiny, knowing, way that told Duke he liked what he saw.  

Audrey gave a little cough and turned away.  A heartbeat longer and Nathan did the same, but not before he gave Duke just the _hint_ of a wink and that was _ridiculous_ and _adorable_ and... _What the fuck_ was he even doing here?  He should have left while he still had the chance.

Whatever.  He was here now and he was just going to have to deal with it.  At least he’d worn underpants for a change.  That was something.  He slipped beneath the covers and Nathan clicked the light off.

Duke closed his eyes and kept very, very, still as he tried to think about something, _anything_ , else.  He was in their bed and they were _so close_ he could almost hear their hearts beating and it was everything he’d ever wanted but - _fuck_ , he couldn’t even remember how to _breathe_ right now - and when Audrey wriggled more closely into him, seeking warmth, he knew he was lost.

He lay awake long after they’d gone to sleep.  Beside him, small movements and sounds came from Audrey as she dreamed.  Nathan snored softly, sleeping deeply.  Duke listened to them, committing those sounds to memory because this was the only time he would ever hear them and he never wanted to forget.

Eventually he drifted off, sleeping more deeply than he had since the Troubles began, his first dreamless sleep since they’d ended.

***

When he woke, the room was filled with soft, grey, light.  An arm rested across his chest, warm and solid and heavy.  A quick glance revealed no sign of Audrey and the arm belonged to Nathan who would _definitely not be happy_ to wake up and find he was cuddling Duke.

Or maybe he would be, given that little look on his face as he watched Duke undress the night before.  Either way, Duke decided to try to extricate himself before Nathan woke up.  He gently lifted Nathan’s arm and started to slide out of bed.  Anything to avoid the inevitable awkwardness.

Nathan’s arm tightened, clinging to him, and he nuzzled into Duke’s hair, and _god_ , Duke wished that was for real.  But it wasn’t.  Nathan was just dreaming of Audrey.

“Duke,” Nathan murmured.  “Stay.”

...Or maybe _not_ dreaming of Audrey and _what the fuck_ was even happening… Duke stayed very still, every muscle in his body tense as he tried not to move, and last night he couldn’t remember how to breathe.  Now he hardly dared to.

“Stay,” Nathan said again.  “S’warm.”

Duke couldn’t entirely swear that his heart hadn’t skipped a beat because Nathan sounded like he _meant it_ and more than anything he wanted to just _stay here_ and relax and enjoy it but he _couldn’t_.  He was spared having to find a reason why he couldn’t by a soft chuckle coming from the doorway.

“Not how I would have chosen to tell him,” Audrey smiled as she set down three mugs of coffee on the dresser.

“Tell me what?”  Duke asked, his eyebrows raised.

“That we want you,” Nathan mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep.  His breath was hot on Duke’s skin and _damn,_ if it didn’t raise goosebumps on his neck.

“This might be a better conversation once someone’s awake properly,” Audrey smiled, affectionate and indulgent.  “Stay there, Duke, it’s easier than disentangling yourself from the clinging octopus.”

“I’m awake, I can hear you, and I’m not a damned octopus,” Nathan objected.

“Ok, one of you needs to explain what the hell’s going on,” Duke said, more sharply than he’d intended because if Audrey thought a conversation was necessary then Nathan had really meant what he’d said and _that meant_ that everything he’d ever wanted was within clutching distance and that thought was wonderful and terrifying all at once.

“Nathan, put Duke down.  Give him some space,” Audrey said, suppressing a smile.

With obvious reluctance, Nathan relinquished his hold on Duke and moved away.

Shivering slightly at the lost contact (and not nerves, definitely not nerves), Duke sat up and pulled the covers around himself.  He drew his knees up to his chest and leaned forwards, his elbows resting on his knees, and ran his hands through his hair.  “Ok.  Explain.  Please.”

Audrey perched on the edge of the bed.  She chewed her lip and glanced at Nathan.

“Meant what I said.  We want you,” Nathan said.

“You want a threesome?”  Duke snorted, mentally kicking himself because now was _not the time_ to be defensive but he couldn’t help himself because this was _too important_ and defensive was all he had left.  “I could maybe understand that from Audrey but you?  Yeah, no, that surprises me.”

Nathan deflated a little, shrinking back in on himself and Duke shot him an apologetic glance.  He shook his head.  “Not that.  Not just that, anyway.”

Duke looked back at Audrey, his eyebrows raised in a silent question, asking her to elaborate because Nathan clearly wasn’t going to and this conversation needed to happen.  This, whatever _this_ was, required openness and honesty and communication and none of them were particularly _good_ at that.

She took a deep breath.  “What Nathan’s trying to say - very ineptly, I might add - is that we want you in our lives, in our relationship, in our bed, and if you don’t want that then that’s fine, there’s no pressure, we’ll always be your friends, but we couldn’t leave it unsaid.”

“Ok,” Duke said slowly, the word long and drawn out as he tried to buy himself time to _process_ this new information, words that he never thought he’d hear from them.

“Been through hell together,” Nathan said, his voice suspiciously gruff.  “You saved us more times than I can count.  Don’t ever want to let you go again.”

Audrey took his hand in hers, Nathan’s shoulder bumped against his and they were _touching him_ and it was warm and it was soft and it was _tender_ , and it was a glimpse into a possible future with them.  A possible future that frightened him as much as it thrilled him.  A million _what ifs_ flew through his mind and he hesitated.

Seconds went by as he was racked with doubt - not in them but in _himself_ , in his ability to _do relationships_ more substantial than the occasional hook up.  But this was _Audrey and Nathan_ and that made all the difference.  For them, he thought he could do it.  Maybe.  He had to _try_ , anyway.

Eventually he nodded.  “I’d like that,” he said quietly, the hint of a smile touching his lips. “I just didn't think it was something you'd ever want. Either of you.”

"You must've known, Duke," Nathan said, as though it should have been obvious and that made Duke want to _laugh_ because no, no, it hadn't been obvious and he _hadn't known_ , hadn't even had the vaguest clue.

He bit back the laughter. Now wasn't the time. He shook his head instead. "Nope. I mean, yeah, you've been nicer to me than you used to be and you haven't punched me for a while," - Nathan gave a guilty start at that - "I just thought it was guilt. Or maybe gratitude. But this? Yeah, no, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said anything."

"Then I'm glad we said it," Audrey smiled.

“So was this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

Audrey nodded. “Then Nathan was late and the snow started and it didn't seem fair to bring it up when you couldn't leave if you wanted to.”

“Fair,” Duke smiled softly.  “But you must’ve known I wouldn’t say no.”

“Duke,” Nathan said, his voice low and quiet, that intense look back on his face.  His fingers went to Duke’s jaw, gently but insistently tilting Duke’s face upwards.

A blink and Nathan’s lips were on his, warm and soft, contrasting against the rough stubble that covered his jaw, kissing him in just the same way as he remembered, and Audrey’s hand was on his chest, pushing him backwards onto the bed.  He went willingly, his arm wrapped around Nathan’s shoulders, pulling him down with him even as he reached for Audrey with his other hand.

The urge to pinch himself was overwhelming.  There was always the possibility that he was still asleep and dreaming.  He still couldn’t quite believe this was happening because - _what the fuck? -_ Audrey was pushing Nathan out of the way and leaning in for her own kiss and where Nathan was intense and gentle, Audrey was demanding and insistent.  

While Audrey kissed his lips, Nathan kissed his neck, his stubble rasping against Duke’s skin, and their hands were all over him and all he could do was _lie there_ , trapped beneath them and there was nowhere else he’d rather be.  He reached for Audrey, wanting to touch her, stroke her hair, _something_ , but she moved his arm away, pressing his hand into the pillow.

“Let us do this for you, Duke,” she broke the kiss to murmur in his ear, her breath hot against his skin, raising goosebumps on his neck.  “Let us show you how much we want you.”

Nathan mumbled his agreement - a soft mm-hmm - just before his lips met Duke’s again.  Audrey kissed her way down his neck, across his chest, working her way downwards and he shivered - whether in anticipation or arousal, he wasn’t sure, he just knew he wanted it to _never stop_.

Their hands were all over him, pulling, tearing at his clothing and theirs until they were all naked, and Duke bit back a groan as heat flooded through his body, every muscle tensing.  He was hard.  So hard.  His breath caught in his throat as Audrey’s fingers brushed over him, her hair tickling his thigh, and - _fuck_ \- her fingers were replaced by her tongue and he couldn’t _think_ any more.

She teased him, licking with soft, gentle, strokes that inflamed him more than they satisfied him and the word _please_ was on the tip of his tongue.   _Please.  More_.  Audrey moved away, a cheeky glint in her eye as she smiled down at him and whispered something in Nathan’s ear.  It must have been a good something because Nathan nodded and then his mouth was around Duke and it was like _coming home_.  So familiar.  So _unexpected_.  Nathan clearly remembered _exactly_ what he liked and he did it again and again until Duke couldn’t keep still any more, his hips pushing upwards uncontrollably.

Just as Duke thought he was going to have to tell Nathan to _stop_ because it was _too good_ , he did.  Whether he instinctively _knew_ or whether he was distracted by Audrey moving, Duke would never know, but Audrey was leaning across him, her breasts pressed against his chest as she rummaged in the nightstand.  She sat back up, a condom clutched in her fingers and a triumphant smile on her face as she carefully opened it and rolled it onto him.

Duke let out a soft whine and glanced at Nathan who was kneeling beside them, watching intently.  “Is she always this impatient?”

“Pretty much,” Nathan replied, just the hint of a laugh in his voice.

“Hey,” Audrey sounded slightly put out.  “Nothing wrong with knowing what I want and going after it.”

“No, definitely not,” Duke wholeheartedly agreed and maybe he was going to say something else but then Audrey was straddling him, her thighs bracketing his, and she was sliding down onto him and oh.   _Oh fuck_.  It felt _so good_ and she was clenching around him and it had only been _seconds_ , how the fuck was he this close already?

“Fuck, you two are hot,” Nathan sounded breathless, his voice full of need, and Duke reached out, took him firmly in his hand and moved in short, quick, strokes, just the way he knew Nathan liked.

"You always did like to watch, Nate," Duke managed to say.  Nathan could only groan in response, and that was a sound that Duke had _missed_ , had longed for over the years.

Her eyes dark, breathing hard, Audrey pulled Duke’s hand to her, guiding him, and he curled his fingers against her, earning a sharp gasp as he hit _just the right spot_ .  As her rhythm picked up, so did his, rocking against each other, slowly at first, then faster and faster, climbing towards their peak and he could _feel_ the weight of Nathan’s gaze on them just as surely as he could feel Nathan grow harder in his hand.

Duke looked up at Audrey.  Her head was thrown back in pleasure, her eyes closed, and _oh god_ the noises she made.  A soft whine on each exhale.  A louder cry as she came.  Her muscles clamped around him, carrying him over the edge, Nathan just seconds behind him.

They all fell silent, watching each other, and if it had carried on longer it might have felt awkward but Audrey broke the silence with a soft laugh.  She rolled off Duke and reached for the tissues.

Clean up done, they collapsed bonelessly onto the bed and Nathan pulled the covers over them, protection against the chill of the room.  Audrey’s soft curves were pressed against his front, Nathan’s solid bulk against his back and Duke started to say something.  What, he didn’t know, but _something_ , something about how happy he was right now, maybe something stupid and sappy about _love_ , but Audrey stopped him with a kiss.

“Sssh,” she murmured afterwards.  “No talking allowed.”

With that, she closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest.  He wrapped his arms more tightly around her and smiled as Nathan nuzzled into his hair.

He was home.


End file.
